Preparation name of game for Rob Kearney

Leinster players being self-critical after victories is not exactly news in recent years, but Rob Kearney took it a step further on Saturday night by questioning the team’s preparations throughout this season.

The squad spent time in Powerscourt in Wicklow last week ahead of their Rugby Champions Cup quarter-final against Bath. Battening down the hatches, said Kearney who claimed the week’s lead-up had been spot on.

That hasn’t always been the case.

“A lot of weeks throughout the season, that is one of the things we have to look at if we want to be a great side,” he said. “We have to have that preparation every week. It is very important we treat every week like this week.”

This was far beyond the usual criticism of tackle counts, line speed or the like. It echoed somewhat Kearney’s famous suggestion in late 2008 that maybe Ireland’s Munster players gave more to the red jersey than the green.

It was, in effect, a tacit admittance that perhaps Leinster haven’t invested sufficient importance, care and attention into their day-to-day business thus far, but that will surely change as they approach the apex of the season.

Preparations may have been perfect, but the performance certainly wasn’t.

No tries. Again. And two conceded. Seven line breaks conceded. That failure to kill off the game when 15-5 ahead, Kearney missed a drop goal attempt and Zane Kirchner got dumped into touch a metre from the Bath try line.

And yet, they are 160 minutes away from title number four.

“We’ve taken a big step,” said Kearney. “We have to remember we’re in the semi-final of Europe and that’s a huge thing. It’s a huge positive. We went into our shell a little bit and you can’t do that.

“It was the one thing I said at half-time, that you can’t sit back and let them play, and that’s what we did.”

Missed tackles are one thing — or 26 things, as was the case two days ago — but Leinster would clearly be afforded much more leeway performance-wise from their fans were they to start putting a few more tries on the scoreboard. Ian Madigan’s boot has done wonders for them in Europe this season, but Leinster will likely have to cross the try line once or twice in the last four if they are to make the final in Twickenham at the start of May.

“Yeah listen, two tries to nil. It’s probably disappointing that we didn’t get a try. We got up into their 22 a couple of times and probably should have got a try. But … we saw from the Six Nations that discipline is massive.

“You give kickable penalties away, you’re going to be on the back foot and we got all our points from penalties. If you don’t get those penalties then you probably do get a try.

“There were a lot of times in the first half when we were building three, four, five phases and they were giving penalties away. So yeah, to the neutral, sorry it’s not a more exciting game, but you do what you gotta do to win.”

Not to be overlooked is the negligible injury list to emerge from the game.

Fergus McFadden was replaced after a collision with Kyle Eastmond that will see the head injury return-to-play protocols kick in this week, but the province is well stocked in every department as a crucial two weeks beckon.

READ MORE: Matt O’Connor: Leinster still a major force